The Huckleberry Hill Elementary School principal search committee has brought in one finalist for the position — Lauren King — Interim Superintendent Tom Geary said Friday. 

The original pool started with 17 applicants, then it was narrowed down to four interviews, and from there the committee strongly recommended King as the only finalist.

King is currently in her sixth year as principal of the Capt. Samuel Brown Elementary School in Peabody, and was previously assistant principal of Bancroft Elementary School in Andover. She was also a learning specialist and an inclusion classroom teacher for eight years in Andover.

According to her LinkedIn profile, King holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from the University of Massachusetts Amherst; a master’s from Simmons College in Boston, also in Elementary Education and Teaching, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership and Administration from Salem State University. And according to the Geary’s statement, “Lauren’s well-rounded educational background and her clear passion for elementary education shined through during the interview.”

The committee who concluded that King be brought forward as the finalist includes a few Huckleberry Hill teachers, staff, Summer Street Elementary School Principal Karen Cronin, a few parents, School Committee Chair Kate DePrizio, and Geary. 

King will visit Huckleberry Hill Tuesday, where students, teachers, staff, families, administrators, and anyone else interested are invited to have a chance to meet and interact with her. From there, the search committee will determine next potential steps.

Last November, the current Principal Melissa Wyland announced that she is retiring at the end of the academic year after leading Huckleberry Hill for five years. She taught first grade at the school and served as assistant principal, then became interim principal before being named as the school’s permanent principal in 2019.